Chrysanthemum plant named ‘Yooakland’

ABSTRACT

A distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant named ‘Yooakland’, characterized by its uniform, upright and compact plant habit; strong and freely branching growth habit; dense dark green foliage; uniform and early flowering habit; decorative-type inflorescences with white-colored ray florets; excellent postproduction longevity with plants maintaining good substance and color for about four weeks in an interior environment; and tolerance to high production temperatures.

BOTANICAL CLASSIFICATION/CULTIVAR DESIGNATION

Chrysanthemum×morifolium cultivar Yooakland.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present Invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar ofChrysanthemum plant, botanically known as Chrysanthemum×morifolium andhereinafter referred to by the name ‘Yooakland’.

The new Chrysanthemum is a product of a planned breeding programconducted by the Inventor in Salinas, Calif. and Fort Myers, Fla. Theobjective of the breeding program is to create new potted Chrysanthemumcultivars that are suitable for year-round production with uniform plantgrowth habit, good vigor, desirable inflorescence form and floretcolors, fast response time, and good postproduction longevity.

The new Chrysanthemum originated from a cross made by the Inventor inFebruary, 1997, in Salinas, Calif., of a proprietary Chrysanthemumseedling selection identified as code number YB-4496, not patented, asthe female, or seed, parent with a proprietary Chrysanthemum seedlingselection identified as code number YB-1521, not patented, as the male,or pollen, parent. The new Chrysanthemum was discovered and selected bythe Inventor as a single flowering plant within the progeny of thestated cross grown in a controlled environment in Salinas, Calif. Theselection of this plant was based on its uniform plant growth habit,desirable inflorescence form and ray floret color, fast response time,and excellent postproduction longevity.

Asexual reproduction of the new Chrysanthemum by vegetative tip cuttingswas first conducted in Fort Myers, Fla. in February, 1998. Asexualreproduction by cuttings has shown that the unique features of this newChrysanthemum are stable and reproduced true to type in successivegenerations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The cultivar Yooakland has not been observed under all possibleenvironmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat withvariations in environment such as temperature, daylength, and/or lightlevel, without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined tobe the unique characteristics of ‘Yooakland’. These characteristics incombination distinguish ‘Yooakland’ as a new and distinct Chrysanthemum:

1. Uniform, upright and compact plant habit.

2. Strong and freely branching growth habit.

3. Dense dark green foliage.

4. Uniform flowering habit.

5. Early flowering, eight-week response time.

6. Decorative-type inflorescences.

7. White-colored ray florets.

8. Excellent postproduction longevity with plants maintaining goodsubstance and color for about four weeks in an interior environment.

9. Tolerance to high production temperatures.

Compared to plants of the female parent selection, plants of the newChrysanthemum have a fewer disc florets and are more tolerant to highproduction temperatures.

Compared to plants of the male parent selection, plants of the newChrysanthemum are more compact, flower more uniformly and have fewerdisc florets.

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum can be compared to plants of thecultivar Surf, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 4,585. In side-by-sidecomparisons conducted by the Inventor in Salinas, Calif., plants of thenew Chrysanthemum differed from plants of the cultivar Surf in thefollowing characteristics:

1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum flowered one to two days earlier thanplants of the cultivar Surf.

2. Plants of the new maintained inflorescence form better over time thanplants of the cultivar Surf.

3. Under low production temperatures, ray florets of plants of the newChrysanthemum did not develop a pink cast whereas ray florets of plantsof the cultivar Surf did develop a pink cast.

4. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum were more tolerant to high productiontemperatures than plants of the cultivar Surf.

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum can also be compared to plants of thecultivar Yotrenton, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 12,789. Inside-by-side comparisons conducted by the Inventor in Salinas, Calif.,plants of the new Chrysanthemum differed from plants of the cultivarYotrenton in the following characteristics:

1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum were more upright and stronger thanplants of the cultivar Yotrenton.

2. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum were more tolerant to high productiontemperatures than plants of the cultivar Yotrenton.

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum can also be compared to plants of thecultivar Yohomestead, disclosed in a U.S. Plant patent application Ser.No. 10/094,271 filed concurrently. In side-by-side comparisons conductedby the Inventor in Salinas, Calif., plants of the new Chrysanthemumdiffered from plants of the cultivar Yohomedstead in the followingcharacteristics:

1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum were shorter and more outwardlyspreading than plants of the cultivar Yooakland.

2. Leaves of plants of the new Chrysanthemum were longer, narrower andhad longer petioles than plants of the cultivar Yooakland.

3. Ray florets of plants of the new Chrysanthemum were more incurvedthan ray florets of plants of the cultivar Yooakland.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

The accompanying colored photographs illustrate the overall appearanceof the new Chrysanthemum showing the colors as true as it is reasonablypossible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in thephotographs may differ from the color values cited in the detailedbotanical description which accurately describe the colors of the newChrysanthemum.

The photograph at the top of the sheet comprises a side perspective viewof a typical flowering plant of ‘Yooakland’ grown as a disbud-type.

The photograph at the bottom of the sheet comprises a close-up view oftypical inflorescences of ‘Yooakland’ grown as a disbud-type.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

In the following description, color references are made to The RoyalHorticultural Society Colour Chart, 1995 Edition, except where generalterms of ordinary dictionary significance are used. The aforementionedphotographs, following observations and measurements describe plantsgrown and flowered during the winter in Salinas, Calif., in afiberglass-covered greenhouse and under conditions which approximatethose generally used in commercial potted Chrysanthemum production.During the production of these plants, the following conditions weremeasured: day temperatures, 21 to 27° C.; night temperatures, 17 to 19°C.; and light levels, 5,000 to 6,000 foot-candles. Four unrootedcuttings were directly stuck in 15-cm containers, exposed to longday/short night conditions, and pinched once about 14 days later. Oneweek after the pinch, the photoinductive short day/long night treatmentswere initiated. Plants used for the photographs and description weregrown as disbud-types. Measurements and numerical values representaverages of typical flowering plants.

Botanical classification: Chrysanthemum×morifolium cultivar Yooakland.

Commercial classification: Decorative-type potted Chrysanthemum.

Parentage:

Female, or seed, parent.—Proprietary Chrysanthemum×morifolium seedlingselection identified as code number YB-4496, not patented.

Male, or pollen, parent.—Proprietary Chrysanthemum×morifolium seedlingselection identified as code number YB-1521, not patented.

Propagation:

Type.—Terminal tip cuttings.

Time to initiate roots.—About four days at 21° C.

Time to produce a rooted cutting.—About ten days at 21° C.

Root description.—White, close to 155D; fibrous.

Rooting habit.—Freely branching.

Plant description:

Appearance.—Herbaceous decorative-type potted Chrysanthemum that can begrown as a disbud or as a spray-type. Stems mostly upright and somewhatoutwardly spreading; uniform crown. Freely branching, about three tofour lateral branches develop after removal of terminal apex (pinching);dense and full plants.

Plant height.—About 22 cm.

Plant width.—About 49 cm.

Lateral branches (peduncles).—Length: About 15 cm. Diameter: About 4 mm.Internode length: About 9 mm. Strength: Strong. Texture: Pubescent.Color: Close to 146A.

Foliage description.—Arrangement: Alternate. Length: About 10.4 cm.Width: About 6.5 cm. Apex: Cuspidate to mucronate. Base: Truncate.Margin: Palmately lobed, sinuses between lateral lobes parallel todivergent. Texture: Upper surface: Sparsely pubescent. Lower surface:Pubescent; veins prominent. Color: Young and mature foliage, uppersurface: Close to 147A. Young and mature foliage, lower surface: Closeto 147B. Venation, upper surface: Close to 147A. Venation, lowersurface: Close to 147B. Petiole length: About 3.2 cm. Petiole diameter:About 2 mm. Petiole color, both surfaces: Close to 146A to 146B.

Inflorescence description:

Appearance.—Decorative-type inflorescence form with elongatedoblong-shaped ray florets. Inflorescences borne on terminals abovefoliage. Disk and ray florets arranged acropetally on a capitulum. Notfragrant. Can be grown as a disbud or spray-type.

Flowering response.—Under natural conditions, plants flower in theautumn/winter in the Northern Hemisphere. At other times of the year,inflorescence initiation and development can be induced under shortday/long night conditions (at least 13.5 hours of darkness). Earlyflowering; plants exposed to three weeks of long day/short nightconditions followed by photoinductive short day/long night conditionsflower about eight weeks later.

Postproduction longevity.—Inflorescences maintain good color andsubstance for at about four weeks in an interior environment.

Quantity of inflorescences.—Grown as a disbud-type, only oneinflorescence, the terminal inflorescence, develops per lateral branch.

Inflorescence bud.—Height: About 8 mm. Diameter: About 9 mm. Shape:Oblate. Color: Close to 147A.

Inflorescence size.—Diameter: About 9.8 cm. Depth (height): About 3.9cm. Diameter of disc: About 3.5 mm, inconspicuous. Receptacle diameter:About 9 mm.

Ray florets.—Shape: Elongated-oblong. Orientation: Initially upright,then perpendicular to the peduncle, reflexed with subsequentdevelopment. Aspect: Mostly incurved. Length: About 4.8 cm. Width: About1.3 cm. Apex: Emarginate or rounded. Base: Fused into a corolla tube.Corolla tube length: About 9 mm. Margin: Entire. Texture: Smooth,glabrous, satiny. Number of ray florets per inflorescence: About 268arranged in numerous rows. Color: When opening, upper and lowersurfaces: Closest to 155D. Fully expanded, upper and lower surfaces:Closest to 155D.

Disc florets.—Arrangement: Massed at center of receptacle. Shape:Tubular, elongated. Apex: Five-pointed. Length: About 6 mm. Width: Apex:About 2 mm. Base: About 1 mm. Number of disc florets per inflorescence:Less than 50. Color: Immature: 154A. Mature: Apex: Close to 12A.Mid-section and base: Close to 146C.

Phyllaries.—Quantity per inflorescence: About 32. Length: About 1 cm.Width: About 3.5 mm. Shape: Ligulate. Apex: Acute. Base: Truncate.Texture: Upper surface: Waxy, smooth. Lower surface: Pubescent. Color:Upper surface: Between 146A and 147A. Lower surface: Close to 147A.

Reproductive organs.—Androecium: Present on disc florets only. Anthercolor: 12A. Pollen amount: Scarce. Pollen color: 15A. Gynoecium: Presenton both ray and disc florets. Style color: Close to 146C. Stigma color:Close to 12A.

Seed.—Seed production has not been observed.

Disease resistance: Resistance to pathogens common to Chrysanthemums hasnot been observed on plants grown under commercial greenhouseconditions.

High temperature tolerance: Plants of the new Chrysanthemum have beenobserved to be tolerant to high temperature conditions when grown duringthe summer under greenhouse conditions in southwest Florida.

It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plantnamed ‘Yooakland’, as illustrated and described.